Fishing reel



Dec. 22, 1942.-

-J. D. KREIS FISHING REEL Filed May 9, 1940 I 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTO RJsspi/ D KREIS ATTORNEYS Dec. 22, 1942.

' J. D. KREIS FISHING REEL Filed May 9, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I-|NVENTOR Jim .0. Mes/s ATTORNEYS Dec. 22, 1942. J. KREIS A I 2,306,253FISHING REEL 4 Filed May 9, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR TOSEPI-I D.Aee/s ATTO RN EYS Patented Dec. 22, 1942 FISHING REEL oseph D. Kreis,Clevelan d Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Enterprise ManufacturingCompany,

Aikrom'Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application May 9, 1940, Serial No. 334,183

(Cl. 242-845) The present invention relates to fishing reels 10 Claims.

of the type generally employed for bait casting and in the design of anefiicient drag mechanism attached to the end plate of the reel, so thatan effective drag or anti-back-lash can be applied to the spool in onedirection only. The drag is so constructed and designed that it will bereleased when the spool is rotated in the opposite direction. By meansof the device it is possible to apply a definite and finely adjusteddrag to the spool when the line is being unwound,. but when the line isbeing reeled in the drag Will be wholly released.

The drag mechanism is constructed and designed so that it may beadjusted with a fine degree of precision and accuracy and serves as aneilective anti-back-lash attachment in casting. It may also be adjustedso as to exert a substantial drag such as may be used in playing largeor game fish. In the forms of drag mechanism shown herein, the entiredrag mechanism is located on the outside of the back plate of the reel,and can not only be readily and accurately ad- J'usted while the reel isin operation, but is accessible for cleaning and repairing withoutdisassembling the reel structure. This is a considerable advantage asthe drag mechanism requires frequent oiling and repair which can begiven to it Without taking apart any of the remainder of the reelstructure. In fact the entire drag mechanism may be removed withoutafiecting the other parts of the reel and the reel can be used as afishing reel minus the drag mechanism.

In a modification of the invention it is also possible to remove thespool from the drag mechanism without disassembling the drag mechanism,and this is particularly desirable in the socalled take-apart reelsbecause the drag mechanism and the balance ofthe reel are independentand either may be separated from the other for individual repairs andattention.

There is also shown and described herein a new form of click mechanismand the adaptation of the click ratchet so that it also serves as acoupling between the drive pinion and the spool. These improvements arethe subject of divisional application Serial No. 377,473, filed Feb. 5,1941.

In respect to the drag mechanism itself, the invention is an improvementupon the drag mechanism shown in the application of Walter L. Adams,Serial No. 275,412, filed May 24:, 1939, it being the object to redesignand reconstruct the drag mechanism so that it will be more compact foradaptation to bait casting reels. Certain changes over the originalAdams conception have been made to give stronger and more efiicientaction, and to simplify and reduce the number of parts Withoutsacrificing the advantages and effectiveness of the Adams conception.One of the advantages obtained by the present invention is the provisionof means to hold the drag mechanism in position when the outer cap isremoved for inspection of the interior thereof.

Other advantages and benefits will be realized from the disclosurescontained herein, it being understood that the forms of the inventionshown are the best known and preferred forms, but changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

In the drawings:

, Figure 1 is a view of a bait casting reel having the variousimprovements incorporated therewith, the view being a section throughthe axis of the spool shaft, substantially on line Il of Fig. 6;

Figure 2 is a section through the drag mechanism on the line 2-2 of Fig.1;

Figure 3 is a section through the drag mechanism on the line 3-3 of Fig.1;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is a composite view of the several elements of the dragmechanism and clutch therefor removed from the casing or housing inwhich they are retained on the reel structure;

Figure 6 is a section on th line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showing the improvedclick mechanism;

Figure 7 is a section on the line 11 of Fig. 1

showing the level wind carriage;

Figure 8 is a view of the back plate of the reel showing themodification by which the spool is removable from the drag mechanismwithout disassembling the latter. Thisview also shows a modified form ofthe clutch mechanism by which these parts are strengthened and improved;

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Figure 10 is a section on the line [0-40 of Fig 8; and

Figure 11 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of this modification of the dragand clutch mechanisms Referring to Fig. I, the rear or back plate of thereel of the bait-casting type is marked I, the front plate as 2, and thegear casing as 3. These elements of the reel are held together by theusual posts 4, and the usual screws to maintain the reel in assembledcondition, a plate '6 being provided for mounting the reel upon the rod.

The main spool shaft 8 carrying the spool 9 is mounted in a bearing H1in the back plate and a bearing H in the gear casing and is driventhrough a pinion l2 fitted over the end of the shaft from the maindriving gear [4 mounted upon the stub shaft l5 in the gear housing anddriven by the crank IS.

The means for securing the pinion I2 to the spool shaft 8 is one of thefeatures of the invention and is designed to improve upon the usualconstruction employed at this point. In the ordinary reel the pinion,which is removabl from the end of the shaft, is usually cut transverselyto provide teeth or projections which fit over a rib formed on the spoolshaft, but the connection is unsatisfactory because the teeth break offeasily. In the improved means for coupling the shaft and pinion, asshown herein, the click ratchet is employed as a coupling or retaininring connecting the pinion l2 and the spool shaft 8. This is a noveladaptation of the click ratchet which, in the design of reel shown islocated in the front end of the reel and is so constructed that it isemployed as a coupling for the spool and the removable pinion whichdrives it.

The pinion I2 is received over the reduced end of the shaft 8 and restsagainst the shoulder 2| on the shaft. The main body of the shaft and theadjacent end of the pinion I2 are provided with a plurality of alignedgrooves or teeth (see Fig. 6). The click ratchet spans both members andis provided with a plurality of mating teeth which engage with thegrooves or teeth on the other members, and as the click ratchet is ofsubstantial depth and engages both members over approximately one halfof its'depth, the arrangement affords a stronger and more securecoupling between the spool and its pinion than has been possible withearlier reel constructions.

Referring now to the drag or anti-back-lash mechanism, for it iseffective for either purpose, it will be noted that in either thepreferred or modified form the mechanism is located entirely on theoutside of the back plate I being carried in a circular housing orchamber desirably formed as a part of the bearing Ill. The exterior ofthe housing is screw threaded to receive the cap 26 which when removedexposes the interior of the chamber so that every part of the frictionor drag mechanism may be removed for the purposes stated above. port 21covered by plate 28 may be provided on the cap and surrounding thehousing may be located a flanged ring 29 carying a spring retainer 3!]bearing upon the lower end of the cap and serving to prevent its loss.gree to'which the cap is run down on the housing also serves to adjustthe friction exerted by the drag or anti-back-lash mechanism in thehousing.

The end of the shaft 8 which projects within the chamber of the housingis formed with a squared portion 32 (Figs. 2 and 4) and the extremity ofthe shaft is screw threaded at 33 to receive a retaining cap-screw 34.Seated over the squared portion 32 is a cup 36 having a centrally'located square hole 3|.to form a driving connection with the shaft.Across the outer face of the cup is a transverse groove or channel 38designed to receive a reciprocating dog 40 which acts as one member ofthe clutch between the spool shaft and the drag mechanism. The center ofthe dog is provided with the elongated fiat sided opening 4| which alsoengages the square portion 32 of the shaft 8. At the sides of thechannel 38 the cup 36 is provided with 75 An oilin The dethe arc shapedwalls 44 and with the oppositely positioned steps or lands 45 which areslightly higher than the thickness of the dog 40 so that as the capscrew 34 is screwed into place it will come to rest at a point whichpermits the free reciprocation of the dog in its channel.

Surrounding the cup 38 are a thin disk 48 of friction material usuallyof phosphor-bronze, a ratchet ring or cage 50 which forms the companioncoupling member for the dog 40, a second friction disk 5| and afeathered disk 52 havin wings or extensions 53 to engage and slide ingrooves 55 cut in diametrically opposite positions in the inner wall ofthe housing 2-5. Ring 52 is thus non-rotatable in the housing andaffords a stationary friction surface in addition to the bottom surfaceof the housing, but which is movable axially in the housing under theinfluence of the cap to secure the variable degrees of frictionalresistance to the rotation of the spool by which the anti-back-lash ordrag effects are produced at the desire of the fisherman.

On the top of the ring 52 is located a light wire splitring 56 which isadapted to be sprung into expanded position engaging the inner wall ofthe housing to hold the removable elements in position when the cap isremoved. The inner wall of the housing may be provided with a shallowgroove, as shown at 51 in Fig. 4 to hold the split spring ring inposition. This permits the cap 26 to be removed without loss of theloose parts which constitute the friction and clutch mechanism.

A yielding spring pressure is applied to the several elements of thefriction device, by a spring device interposed between the inner surfaceof the cap 26 and the ring 52. In the form shown this is a spring metaldisk 58 formed with a plurality of downwardly bent spring fingers 59which bear at spaced points on the ring 52. Three fingers are shownwhich evenly distribute the pressure applied by the cap about the ringand insure the fine and balanced application of friction such as isneeded to cause the mechanism to act as an efficient anti-back-lashdevice. The number of the fingers can be varied; three or more willprevent any localization of the friction and ensure even application ofthe retarding effect of the friction elements. The spring disk may beloose as shown or may be attached to the interior of the cap 26. As thecap is advanced or retracted the friction resistance is increased ordecreased so that a wide range of frictional resistance can be obtained,the disk 52 moving axially in the housing but remaining in non-rotativerelation thereto.

Referirng now to the clutch mechanism by which the drag oranti-back-lash is effective only in one direction of rotation, it willbe observed that this device is effective when the line is being runout. It thus serves to effect a sufficient drag, when lightly adjusted,to prevent over-running of the spool while casting the bait and obviatesa common cause for snarls and back-lashes while casting. If set morestrongly, the device will act as a drag against the running of the fish,and the change may be effected by simply turning the cap 26 in theproper direction while the reel is being used in fishing.

The clutch consists of the dog 40 previously referred to and the cage orring 50 the former having a tooth on either end, one face of whichextends substantially radially from the dog and the other face of whichis inclined as shown. The inner surface of the ring 50 is provided with2,306,258 several, here shown as three, ratchet teeth 66,

likewise with radial and sloping surfaces, the radial surfaces on thedog and the itnerior of the cage being designed to contact when thespool is rotated in the direction to pay ofi the line so that the spooland the cage are interlocked, and friction resistance to the spoolrotation is thus applied between the ring E53 and the under-surface ofthe housing 25 and the washer 52 feathered thereon. In the oppositedirection the inclined surfaces of the teeth ride over one another andthe spool is free to rotate. The elongated slot 4! in the dog permits itto shuttle back and forth freely when the spool is being rotated in thedirection to wind in the line. In reverse, however, the inclinedsurfaces will move 'the flat or radial surfaces of the dog and cage orring 59 into engagement.

When the clutch is active the rotation of the spool will be retardedthrough the friction rings 48 and 5! to the extent to which pressure isexerted between the two surfaces of the cage 59 and the facing surfacesof the housing and ring 52.

It will be noted that by squaring the shaft and slotting the dog, theshaft is notweakened as it would be if a passage for the dog were putthrough the shaft. Also that a thin flat dog such as here provided makesa very compact structure without sacrifice of its efliciency. Y

Referring now to the form of clutch and drag mechanism shown in Figs. 8to 11, inclusive, it will be seen that still further improvements havebeen made which simplify the construction and secure advantages notpresent in the Adams device referred to or in the form shown in Figs. 1to 5.

In the earlier forms it is necessary to disassemble the drag mechanismin whole or in part in order to remove the spool, but in the form nowunder discussion, the spool may be removed without touching the dragmechanism. This is an especial advantage in the so-called takeapartreels as it permits the fisherman to make repairs, or to service eitherpart of the reel without disassembling any other part of the reel. Thedesign shown in these figures also reduces the number of parts as willbe seen from a comparison of Figs. 5 and 11.

In Fig. 8 the rear end plate of the reel is desig nated at la, the spoolas 9a and its shaft as 8a. The end of the spool shaft is formed with theflattened surfaces 32a and is rotated in the bushing I Ba. It may beremoved by endwise displacement as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8without disturbing the drag mechanism, and as the drag mechanism isentirely self-contained no part thereof is displaced.

In the detailed description of the drag mechanism the housing 25, cap 26and the ring 29 and spring 39 are not altered. Within the drag mechanismthe friction disk H3 next to the bottom of the housing and the frictiondisk i2 above the ratchet cage or ring 'ii are formed with relativelysmall openings so that the surfaces of these rings will retain thesliding dog in position. The ring H is also formed differently, having asmaller central opening so that it is stronger, and the dog issubstantially circular in form for added strength. The parts 52, 5t and59 are the same as in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 5, it being notedthat no cap screw such as shown at 34 is required for this assembly, andtherefore it is not necessary to touch the drag mechanism in order toremove the spool endwise as shown by the dotted lines.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 6, the new form of click mechanismwill be described, it being noted that the location of the click pinionand its use as a coupling between the spool and its drive pinion hasbeen described. This places the click pinion in the plane of the frontend plate 2 where an enlarged recesstil is provided to receive it, saidrecess being formed with a further out out portion 8| to afford movementto the click pin. This pin is shown at 82 and is carried on the slidingblock 84 mounted on the inside wall of the gear casing, being moved intoand out of clicking position by the knob 855 working in slot 86 in thegear casing. It will be seen that in order to accommodate the clickmechanism in the gear casing it has been necessary to make a newarrangement of the parts of the reel and to extend the pin outwardlyfrom its block and into the recess in the end plate 2.

The block 8 1 is shown in Fig. 6, being pivoted on the shank of the knoband yieldingly held in neutral position by the long curved spring arms88 which are bent upwardly and formed as a part of the plate 83 whichlies beneath the block and is attached to the gear casing by rivets 99.

The level wind carriage is of the usual construction and is indicated at9 being driven back and forth by the usual double-threaded shaft 95. Thehalf nut which engages the shaft is indicated at so and is mounted inthe recess in the carriage, being retained in position by a cap screw93.

The foregoing has described the best known and preferred forms of theinvention but it will be appreciated that other forms and modificationsmay be resorted to without departing from the principles of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fishing reel, a reel frame, a spool, a mechanism associated withthe reel frame to exert frictional resistance to the spool rotationcomprising a spool shaft having a flattened external area, a dog movabletransversely of the shaft and'having a sliding, non-rotative engagementwith the shaft at the flattened area, a ring surrounding the dog, saiddog and ring being provided with means to lock them in one direction ofrotation only, and frictional means to retard the rotation of the ring.

2. A fishing reel having a frame and means for retarding the freerotation of the spool in one direction only comprising a spool and aspool shaft, the spool shaft having an exterior flattened area, areciprocating dog received over the spool shaft and having a rectangularopening providing a non-rotatable connection with the flattened area, aring surrounding the dog and having ratchet teeth engageable by the endsof the dog, and friction means locked to the frame and bearing onopposite sides of the ring.

3. A fishing reel having a frame and means for retarding the freerotation of the spool in one direction only comprising a spool and aspool shaft, the spool shaft having an exterior flattened area, areciprocating dog received over the spool shaft and having a rectangularopening providing a non-rotatable connection with the flattened area, aring surrounding the dog and having ratchet teeth engageable by the endsof the dog, friction means locked to the frame and bearing on oppositesides of the ring, and

spool shaft extending into the housing, means to lock the spool shaftand said member in one direction of rotation only, a removable cap on Lthe housing, and a retaining device associated with the housing to holdthe rotatable member and its retarding means within the housing when thecap is removed.

5. In a bait casting fishing reel, an anti-backlash device comprising areel frame end plate, a housing on the exterior of the end p1ate,'arotatable member in the housing, means to frictionally retardtherotation of said member, a

spool shaft extending into the housing, means to lock the spool shaftand said member in one direction of rotation only, a removable cap onthe housing, and an expansible spring member engaging the inner wall ofthe housing to hold the rotatable member and its retarding means withinthe housing.

6. In a fishing reel, an end plate, a housing on the exterior of the endplate, a spool, a spool shaft passing through the end plate and into thehousing, friction means comprising a plurality of superposed disks toretard the rotation of the spool located in the housing, and meanslocated within the housing to couple the spool shaft with said frictionmeans in one direction of rotation only, ing so formed that the spoolshaft is withdrawable endwise without disturbing the elements containedin the housing.

7. A fishing reel having an end plate, said end plate having a spoolshaft bearing into which the spool shaft may be inserted from one sideof the end plate and a housing on the opposite side of the end plate,friction retarding means comprising a plurality of superposed diskslocated in the housing, and a coupling operative in one direction ofrotation only and located within the housing for locking the spool shaftto the retarding means, said spool shaft and coupling bethe spool shaftand the coupling means being so constructed and arrangedthat the shaftis removable from said coupling by endwise movement of the spool shaft.

8. A fishing reel having an end plate, said end plate having a spoolshaft bearing into which the spool shaft may be inserted from one sideof the end plate and a housing on the opposite side of thte end plate,friction retarding means comprising a plurality of superposed diskslocated in the housing, and a coupling operative in one direction ofrotation only and located within the housing for locking the spool shaftto the retarding means, said spool shaft and coupling being soconstructed and arranged that the shaft is removable from said couplingby endwise movement of the spool shaft and without disturbing thehousing or its contents.

9. In a fishing reel, an end plate, a housing on the exterior of the endplate, a removable cap on the housing, means comprising superposed diskswithin the housing to exert retarding effect on the spool rotation, aspool and a spool shaft extending into the housing, means to couple theshaft and the retarding means in one direction of spool rotation only,said spool shaft and coupling means being so constructed that the shaftis removable through the end plate without disturbing the contents ofthe housing, and the contents of the housing are removable therefromwhen the cap is removed without disturbing the spool shaft.

10. In a fishing reel, a spool and a spool-shaft, the shaft having aflattened end portion, a dog having a centrally located slot thereinengaging the flattened end portion and freely reciprocable transverselythereof, a ring surrounding the dog, said ring and dog having means tointerlock for rotation in one direction only, friction means located ateither side of the ring engaging the plane surfaces thereof, and meansto adjust the pressure exerted upon the ring by said friction means,said shaft and dog being so constructed and arranged that the shaft maybe removed from the center of the dog by endwise movement withoutdisturbing the frictional elements or the dog.

JOSEPH D. KREIS.

